Stories about men

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The Oxford dictionary defines sexual harassment as,
“Harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks”
Gauging from this definition, the meaning is pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it?
Apparently not.
I am often surprised (read: unimpressed), by the type of conversations I hear surrounding the so-called ‘dubious’ nature of sexual harassment. A few years ago, a colleague came to me saying she felt awkward by the way her now ex-boss would treat her while they were at work. She wasn’t sure if he was interested in her, or if he ...

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Summer is upon us and the post-fashion week trend reports are here. Even though our standard wardrobes have refined over time, they seem a bit too boring with the same old monotony.
Here I present 10 wardrobe changes you need to make to spice up your looks:
Ditch the coat and go for the bomber jacket
While summer coats may be making the rounds, you should know that the bomber is the ‘it’ outerwear item to have this season. If you are going to invest in some outerwear, let it be a bomber jacket.
It is more upbeat in comparison to the same old overdone ...

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To you,
The driver who sees my loosely wrapped headscarf, jeans and long shirt, and wonders what’s going on; the passer-by who watches me adjust the messenger bag on my sagging shoulder with one hand and cover my eyes from the sun with the other, squinting at something in the distance; the curious men and women on motorcycles, in vans, riding bicycles and on foot, wondering what I’m doing on a street corner, so early in the day. And especially to those who might wonder if maybe, just maybe…
Let me stop you right there and say what doesn’t need to be said ...

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A few days back, I met a friend to congratulate her on her engagement. Though her happiness was visible through her expressions, her demeanour indicated that something was bothering her. Upon my inquiry, she started to vent out her worries.
“My only fear is that he keeps dogs and I keep cats,” she said.
Initially, I thought she was merely jesting, to which she clarified,
“No, I really am worried about this”.
Her anxiety made me wonder if this difference of preference in pets really mattered that much. I mean, surely, if you keep a pet, it only shows your love for animals, ...

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Do you really think single women are the only ones stressing about their shrinking marriage options? According to my keen observation, single men in their 30s also face a similar dilemma of wanting to get married.
Men in their 20s continue to live in a bubble where they think they will be young forever. But in their early 30s, they see an old man who has a sound career but is in a relationship which is going nowhere and looks at other men of his age who are already fathers. There comes a point in their life when they ...

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“So my fellow kaloos and kaliaas, get up before it’s too late and let’s end the reign of Fair and Lovely and start the era of Brown and Hairy. If our six-point agenda is not enforced we will have an unfair men march against the societies unfairness — D-Chowk here we come!”– Ali Gul Pir
I fully support you Ali in your mission, in fact here are my two cents, lets add one more point to that list; zero tolerance against any patronage paid to Gora Rang!
This satire beautifully states the irony of our mind-sets. Having been independent for almost 70 years now, our subordination to the “Gori ...

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The story I’m about to narrate is disturbing, but it is important that this story is read by all. If it can help or comfort a person going through a similar situation or provide a reason for someone not to live a life filled with lies, then I consider my job done. Even though it’s much too late for me, for someone out there, this could change their life.
About two months ago, I installed a software on my laptop to monitor my children’s internet activity. This was due to the fact that my children had inadvertently heard a curse word somewhere and then ...

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It’s an age old story that women are the main victims of abuse. Over the years, many NGOs, awareness projects and feminists have forced laws to be passed against female victimisation. We have all blamed men for abuse, who are seemingly the dominant sex and similarly, many steps have been taken to make women realise that it is the men who are at fault.
So, why then are women still subjected to abuse, even though they are aware of their rights and are more liberated than before?
Why are they not raising their voice against domestic abuse?
And also, are men really the main cause of abuse?
These questions ...

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Eight feet by six feet – that’s how big most prison cells are for anyone who is sentenced to death in Pakistan. An inmate on death-row is kept in this cell until his execution takes place which, because of the 2008 moratorium on the death penalty, cannot lawfully happen anymore.
Although the moratorium ended in July 2013, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had to reinstate it indefinitely. His government had initially stated that:
“The present government does not plan to extend it (the moratorium)”
However, mainly because of European pressure, the moratorium was reinstated till a point when the president and the prime minister can have a ...

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I’m sorry but I had to impress you. I had to put up my best act to make sure you fall for it, compare me to other men you knew and conclude that I am the best.
I always felt inferior to you.
People around you made me feel vulnerable and insecure. There was an aura of romance and sensuality about you, I was bare. You were beautiful, I wasn’t. You had friends, I had responsibilities. You had money, I had dreams.
Can I blame my insecurities for what I did?
I felt I had to compete to get you and so I decided to cheat.
Will you take that as a genuine ...